The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson 1886
This short mystery follows a London lawyer investigating the connection between a respected doctor and a violent stranger. A door in a quiet street leads him toward the secret of Dr. Jekyll’s experiments.
94 pages 1h 49m reading time
- One of the most famous horror stories ever written, and a founding work of the modern tale of a split self.
- Imagines that every person holds both good and evil inside, and that a respectable life can hide a darker self.
- Suggests that giving in to our worst urges, even in secret, slowly takes control of who we are.
- Gave English the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde," still used for anyone who seems to have two very different sides.
- Inspired many stage plays and films, and its idea of a hidden second self shaped later stories of double lives.
Born from a nightmare
Stevenson dreamed key scenes of the story, and was annoyed when his wife woke him from the frightening dream.
First draft thrown away
After his wife criticized the first draft, Stevenson reportedly burned it and rewrote the whole story in a few days.
Inspired by a real criminal
Stevenson was fascinated by Deacon Brodie, a respected Edinburgh craftsman by day who secretly worked as a burglar by night.
A cheap paperback hit
It sold about 40,000 low-priced copies in Britain in six months, and preachers even used it in church sermons.